Bill Clinton Visits San Diego Food Bank

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Aired 4/4/11

Former President Bill Clinton greeted hundreds of hungry people at the San Diego Food Bank on Sunday morning.

SAN DIEGO  Cheers from nearly a thousand colleges students, veteran families and celebrities welcomed former President Bill Clinton to a make-shift stage inside the San Diego Food Bank's giant warehouse in Miramar.

Clinton gave a rousing, brief speech about what it means to volunteer and serve others.

“You either think your differences are all that matters, or you think our common humanity is more important, and you look for ways to lift yourselves up by lifting others up,” Clinton said.

He also asked the young crowd to answer the following question: “Whether what we have in common is more important than our interesting differences?”

Clinton answered the question himself—saying the focus on our commonality is our only hope for the future.

The “Day of Service” as he called it, is part of the “Clinton Global Initiative University” program. Its goal is to connect youth around the world to create change in practical ways.

Agnes Igoye is from Uganda. She was one of the 800 college students from near and far away, who handed out boxes of food to hundreds of local families.

“It’s exciting to serve the families here and to see so many young people with so much energy and willingness to give back,” Igoye said with a big smile.

Clinton also announced the food bank had been renamed the “Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank” after both families paid off the food bank’s $2 million mortgage.

“Their gift will make it possible to serve about 56,000 more meals a month,” said Chris Carter, San Diego Food Bank president.